Closet Case

The reason I haven’t posted here in forever is umm…I was too busy buying clothes online instead.

No lie.

Buying stuff from Japan/South Korea/Hong Kong is a very time consuming process, and I totally missed the winter solstice lunar eclipse in order to make sure a wire transfer to Hong Kong was properly sent.

Priorities. I definitely have ‘em.

The only rule I really do abide by in terms of my addiction to shopping is that twice as many clothes need to be going OUT of my closet as are coming in. To that end, I donated about 8 bags of clothes to Goodwill and will probably need to donate a few more before the month is over.

In my defense, I’m not paying retail prices. Because that’s for suckers.

Shop on, friends.

The theme of this entry is blatant thievery.

Some people feel pressured to reinvent the wheel every time they get dressed. Shopping becomes some kind of epic quest for the fountain of youth or the golden fleece. This…can work for some, but for the rest of us, is not only a waste of time, but a waste of other people’s brilliance.

STEALING is not ok when the things being stolen can actually be owned. Like cars. Stealing cars is bad. Or stereos. Stealing stereos is really, really wrong.

Stealing ideas, however, is the best thing ever.

Especially when it comes to style. Nothing is as contagious as a trend until it gets worn out, so we all know that style theft is legit. But how do you steal without getting caught in that ‘This look is only hot for 2 seasons and now it’s over,’ hole?

The answer is to widen your thieving net, and cast further from home. Steal looks from all over the globe and then frame work-a-day pieces around them to make the look relevant to yourself and the event or place where you’ll be seen wearing it.

A great example of this is Madonna’s kimono look. You all know what I’m talking about, I’m sure, but I’m putting a picture in just to be visually referencey. That’s not a word, but I don’t care.

Yes. Fabulous.

In my own wardrobe, I tend to steal from southeast asia. I love the look of saris, but I’m not about to wrap 9 yards of material around my body and try to pretend that I am a bonafide Indian bride. Instead, I wear sarong-like wrap skirts in varying lengths as blouses with skinny jeans, or as dresses, accessorized with sandals and minimal jewelry.

Cross cultural theft ensures that no one will be rocking the exact same look as you that they saw in the pages of Marie Claire magazine. Don’t be that person. It’s boring as hell. Instead, read National Geographic (I swear it’s more than just educational, it’s chic, too) and steal some fashion inspiration that can bring drama and personalization to your wardrobe. You might even go so far as to watch movies from foreign countries whose mode of dress appeals to you and go shopping online to find original, authentic pieces from those places. Blah, blah, boosts global economy, blah, blah, supports artisans…all that is well and good, but stay focused: don’t buy things that don’t look good ON YOU.

That goes without saying, right? Know your body, and drape it accordingly.

Happy thieving!

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of style…Or, something.

When you shop, let slip the subconscious decision making process that seems to your logical, rational self to be completely contrary to your best interests.

“What nonsense is she talking about?!”

I know. All this seems like a hot mess of psychobabble which is FAR from what you need in your life right now. But bear with me. I’m going to try and explain without sounding like I’ve been spending too much time in an opium den.

Our minds are multi-layered wonders of processing. They take in information from a variety of sources at a blinding speed which parse out what is relevant to us NOW and what will never be relevant to us, not to mention that huge filing cabinet full of “things which may or may not be relevant later.” We all have a drawer full of things that fall into this category, and our minds do to.

We tend to lump that section of data we’ve taken in and forgotten about together with our subconscious, but that’s not exactly true. Skipping the science crap, I’ll move on to the important part. Our subconscious put things together for us while we sleep and all we have to do is trust it. It stores and filters data about our feelings, our intentions and our conflicts, so why not our closets as well?

The best part about our subconscious is that it functions without our direction, with or without our active participation, while we’re sleeping, and with no additional effort on our part. It’s like an indentured servant! It can’t go anywhere and it has to do its job or else it won’t get fed. Why not use it to help you look fabulous?

If you find something which makes ZERO sense in the context of your current wardrobe and yet, as you walk away from it, you feel a longing, a pang of serious regret or dismay…go back. Try it on. Get a feel for the cut of it, the possibilities and potential it possesses. If you love it all by itself, even if you can’t figure out anything to wear with it, buy it.

Buy it and put it in the back of your mind to marinate. Take it out now and then and try it on with different things, even if they don’t work or seem somehow unlikely.

Your subconscious is storing data on this particular style impulse. Sooner or later you may, without realizing it, have purchased several complementary items which will tie together your pre-existing wardrobe with the seemingly impossible to work with piece.

Try it with inexpensive things first, in fact, use thrift stores as the testing grounds in which to sow the seeds of subconscious shopping.

Bon courage!

Taking inspiration from others is a good way to keep your sense of adventure alive and active in your style.

But does that inspiration always have to come from the fashion daring-do of people we see on the street or in magazines?

Art in all its multitudes of form can be a great well from which to draw ideas. It can spark our own creativity, arouse curiosity and encourage us to think of things in different ways, including ourselves.

The latter can change our lives, and if not our lives, our closets.

I’ll use myself as an example. I’ve always been a tomboy, the kind of girl you’ll find hanging out with boys and instigating mischief. It is verrryyy difficult to get onto and then off of a rooftop in the dead of night wearing heels. This sort of mindset led to my closet being tailored to my habits, which meant a lot of pants, tees, button down shirts and all of it black, or grey.

As I got older, I didn’t need to live life so dangerously and could afford a more sophisticated look. I still wore black almost exclusively (my laundry can now be divided into 7 loads: 3 loads of black, 3 of colors, 1 of whites…tmi?), but it was classy, minimalist with emphasis on very high heels, clean tailoring and tea length hemlines. In short, I looked like a widow. An elegant widow, maybe. But being in my twenties, it started to seem absurd, goth subculture notwithstanding.

I started to crave colors and contrast, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I saw things on other people, but couldn’t see a way to adjust my style. I fretted. I nattered. And still, my closet remained the same because neither fretting nor nattering are effective style tools. The one useful thing I did do all the while was faithfully attend First Friday events.

For those of you in art abundant cities, you know that the first friday of every month in some places is dedicated to art gallery openings. Free wine and hor d’oevres and the art of cherished local geniuses or touring collections, how can you possibly go wrong? An injection of color at the start of the month can make the workaday blahs much more bearable. What’s more…it can change your style.

(sculpture by Betsy Youngquist)

I started seeing art which I connected with, felt drawn to and amused by, and which coincidentally reflected a much more feminine style. The kind of style I’d been yearning for, but which was absent in my wardrobe. I started buying clothes that reminded me of paintings. Pieces which evoked the air of an artwork I’d loved but couldn’t afford to own. I bought clothes which kept the ambience of the art I’d experienced close at hand. Little by little, my closet evolved. More than visual art was involved, but that’s another story.

Often times our taste in art shows us hidden facets of our personality, underused or underappreciated quirks and eccentricities we could be displaying to greater effect, but which get pushed aside in favor of more easily accessible assets.

Sometimes we don’t even realize the traits we have lying around inside of our subconscious bootlockers (more on the subconscious in another entry…you thought this blog was just fashion tips? ha!), but we discover them like buried treasures that have come to light in the context of someone else’s creations.

Those traits, whatever they maybe be and no matter how faint their presence may seem, can serve to spice up our clothing roster by changing the way we select our clothes, the way we build our outfits, the way we feel about getting dressed.

If there is a trend you notice in the things you like to see, hear or do…take note of it. It has meaning, and in light of the purpose of this blog, it has the great potential to bring new life into the way you dress.

If you’re in a style rut, a little art therapy could be just the tonic you need.

Here’s some links to artists currently haunting my closet:

http://www.coridantini.com

http://www.byart.com

http://www.reinamiabrill.com

http://www.bethbojarski.com

The ability to wear something ___ and still present an air of ___ is a skill which boils down to inner apparel.

I left the adjectives out, for you to fill in at your own discretion. Contradictory expression is best left up to  individual proclivity for contradiction. I use this photo of Japanese pop star Namie Amuro to illustrate the balance between her over-the-top, ultra girlish attire and the contradictory body language, make up and look in her eyes.

This is prime territory, the ability to get dressed mentally before ever putting on a stitch. It goes beyond confidence (or over-confidence) because it means more than attitude. It transcends appearance, using accoutrements as a prop to catch the eye before drawing the observer in to examine what is really being conveyed.

And what is that exactly? It’s your spirit, your frame of mind. It’s the sum of your drive for that day, whatever it may be, but honed and focused to a clarity that is not overwhelmed by the clothes you put on over it. It prevents you from being mistaken with your outfit, or being overshadowed by it.

No artist wants to be playing second fiddle to the medium with which they create.  Neither should you. Your clothes should never swallow or drown you out.

So before you choose your outfit, get your animo dressed first and see if people don’t sit up and take notice.

What do artichokes, onions, and certain flowers have in common? Layers.

And funky, eccentric layers are definitely a trend I support.

That being said, not everyone has got the hang of rocking the layered look, but the keyword to making the best of this trend is lean. That means (as pictured above) skinny jeans or jean leggings, body hugging teeshirts/shirt dresses (I wear a lot of American Apparel shirt dresses) with contrasting looser layers on top. Monochromatism is unneccessary, but can be chic.

A recent issue of Glamour magazine hinted at extending the seasonal wear of summer dresses by layering and this is a trend I fully support. Sundresses with long sleeve tees underneath or with leggings, thigh high knee socks and cropped jackets can transition your summer dresses into fall appropriate ensembles.

The layered look can be playful or serious, depending on your mood, but should always do just that: be a reflection of the mood you’re in, adding depth of personality to your style expression.

With that said, go forth and multiply (the number of items of clothing on your body at any given time)!

Everyone has one. Everyone needs one. But they aren’t always fabulous, flattering, or longterm lovely. You know what I’m talking about: the ubiquitous black dress.

I personally own at least six of them, to suit the occasion or my mood. I almost bought one with Ian Curtis silk screened on it. The LBD, as it is now (annoyingly) referred to in most magazines, is as necessary to own as a pair of jeans and a strand of pearls.

However…it can also be incredibly boring. Nothing, in fact, is as boring as a flat black dress without a hint of personality. It can kill your flair if you let it.

The trick to keeping the interest level from waning in contact with the blank slate that the LBD provides lies in the cut and accessories.

Choose a dress that flatters your figure and which is cut to reveal and highlight your best features. Legs, shoulders, cleavage, whatever you have that you love and others will love seeing more of should be framed by the dress and spotlighted with accents either in the form of jewelry, glitz or color.

A dress with one shoulder and one long sleeve is infinitely more memorable than one with spaghetti straps, and a strapless dress can be fabulous with large, long necklaces or a jeweled collar. Any LBD can take a turn for the exotic when paired with an Obi style sash of brightly colored, patterned fabric cinched in the middle with a metallic or patent belt.

If your occasion is a sombre one instead of a celebration (think funerals, court dates, etc), your look can still bring a unique touch by adding an assymetrical hat or lace gloves, (faux) snakeskin shoes in interesting colors, or a feathered clutch.

Everyone has to wear one some time, but not everyone has to wear one as if it were a uniform.